Like Wine
by seek-to-enchant121584
Summary: In which I manipulate my own little scene into the "Surprise!" episode. Derek has more than one dawning revelation in this episode. Derek finally gets a clue about more than just one woman in his life. The second, however, may take some getting used to. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here I go again, shoving my favorite American music into Canadian teenagers' mouths. But one day, I was listening to this song and I was like "Aww...I feel a Dasey moment." and wrote this little one-shot. And it's mostly a mile long because I put the song lyrics in for "Fall for you". It's the first time I've _ever_ done that for any story. It doesn't make it a song fic, but where I put the song is where I feel the Dasey moment the strongest with aforementioned song. The other song is more of an afterthought that helped me write the beginning and ending of the story. And for those reading The Color Spectrum, I'm working out the kinks of the next chapter and plan to have it up in the next couple of days.

Music suggestions: 'Fall for you' by Secondhand Serenade, 'Protecting me' by Aly and A.J.

Disclaimer: Yeah...um, no I don't own Life With Derek.

Like Wine

It was the night of their senior prom that Derek realized his feelings for Casey were morphing into something different. Sure, he'd wouldn't deny she was hot, but first impressions were hard to ignore. His dad and Nora hadn't even had to inform him that she was going to be his stepsister before the dislike had set in. Casey had opinions and a mouth that had no inhibitions when it came to expressing them. And unfortunately, most of those morals and opinions were the polar opposite of his.

Sure, he came to love that about her, but in the beginning, he might have become tolerant a lot faster if they weren't at each others' throats and rooms right next door to each other. When it came to girls, he was willing to overlook a few of their less desirable traits if he really wanted them. But then again, he might have just been pushing it down because she was kind of cute and dateable. It would ultimately have ended when he couldn't tolerate her anymore. Perhaps being forced to live together was the better outcome in the long run, to let their relationship sweeten and mature with time into something they could both tolerate.

And then the evidence just had to go and pile up in his mind at unbidden times. Like the time she helped him when he had the chicken pox and he got her the cell phone she always wanted while taking the heat off of her when she got caught. He hadn't had to soften the blow when he fired her, but she had done a good enough job. Or the time he called her dad and made him come back after that disastrous dinner. He still blamed the tears. Or the time she sang his song for the band – both times. Although the first one meant more to him than the second. Sure, she'd helped him write a song for Sally when he hadn't even thought it was possible, but when she'd ripped off that hippie shirt to reveal that cute little black vest with those tight black pants like some sort of rocker goddess...and she started singing _his_ song even though he knew how shallow and terrible she thought it was...he was sure the shock was evident on his face for all to see. And when she informed him matter-of-factly after the show that only Johnny Depp and Jared Leto were the only two men on the planet that could get away with rocking the black eyeliner...he was sure a little bit of his heart opened up to her right then.

It just wouldn't stop. For two people who couldn't care less for the other, they sure did go out of their way to help if something did go wrong. Like when he failed his driver's test...five times before she stepped in and forced him and his dad into an impromptu driver's ed course with her as the instructor. He still couldn't believe that doing it her way had finally gotten him the license. Then there was the time he instructed her on how to lie and how he'd thrown himself to the wolves to try and bail her out when the lie came back to bite them both. It was something he'd never done before. Kind of like when he helped her out of the swirling eddy she'd made of Marti's summer camp. It wasn't like she didn't have it in her to be fun–he knew she was capable of it on occasion–but all the things she thought she was _supposed_ to do held her back. He realized with a jolt that most times, _he_ was the one swooping in to rescue her from the "boring and practical" monster. Yeah, he'd been reading too many comics lately.

And how was it that she was the one that had set things right and fixed him up with his only two serious girlfriends? Okay, maybe inadvertently, all three. She was the one that was scrambling to patch over the latest blunder he'd caused, both with Kendra and Sally. And then he was always doing what Emily told him to when they were together regarding Casey to keep her happy, which in turn, actually kept Emily happy. Who knew that actually worked?

He didn't understand why she did it, either. Most likely that whole conscience deal he knew some people had to deal with. It wasn't as if he ever tried to help _her_ out in that department. Most times, he was trying to sabotage said relationships. Hell, he'd ended up in a wrestling match with Sam when he'd taken an interest in Casey, and Sam was his best friend. The only time he could recall him helping her in any way was with the speed-dating soccer coach. Even then, he was helping them _break_ up.

And then Max came along. Derek could admit, after a while, Max wasn't too bad. Even if he was a cardboard-for-brains football player. But in the beginning, he couldn't stop himself from pranking Max. If it'd really been on the pretense that it was because he was the captain of the football team, then why didn't he go after the entire football team after the first couple of pranks? And the way he broke up with Casey...was it really too difficult to give her a little breathing room like she asked? So she was a little confused. It _was_ Casey, after all. It wouldn't have lasted long. He took it upon himself to resume the pranking until he figured Max had learned his lesson.

Now Truman had him confused from the beginning. What does one do when the opponent is on the same level and is well acquainted with all the tricks of the trade? And the way he'd gone about to get Casey...it was something Derek wished he'd thought of. In getting other girls, of course. Six and a half? He was surprised Casey bought that line at all, much less for as long as she did. Most guys agreed she was at the very _least _an eight and a half, a nine on most days. He neglected to consider, much less contribute, his opinion. If Truman had been good at anything, it had been at manipulating Casey. For the most part, that wasn't exactly a _chore_, but it had always grated on his nerves. That was _his_ job and he wasn't planning on retiring anytime soon. Oh, and then Truman had the nerve to go and kiss another girl, Casey's own cousin no less, right in front of her. He still wasn't sure why he'd decided the guy deserved another chance after that.

He knew the feelings were of the bad sort when he practically growled at Sam when he tried to dance with her at the prom. Truman had disappeared into the crowd right as Casey's requested slow song began to play. He and Emily had just sat down for a break from dancing only to look over at Casey and he saw _that_ look on her face. It was a lesser version of the cousin kissing incident. And really, what else was he to do but step up to the plate? Nora had made him promise to dance at least one song with the stepsister anyway, and he also knew that Nora had pulled Emily aside to make sure he followed through. And Emily _was_ giving him that "You'd better help her" look. Turns out, though, he couldn't stand the pre-tears, forlorn look on Casey anymore than the actual tears.

_The best thing about tonight is that we're not fighting.  
Could it be that we have been this way before?  
I know you don't think that I am trying.  
I know you're wearing thin down to the core._

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he liked seeing that happy Casey look directed at him just as much as he liked teasing and irritating her. She barely even looked at him suspiciously and his extended hand before her eyes sparkled happily and she took the proffered hand and followed him onto the dance floor as the chorus to the song thrummed through the school speakers.

_But hold your breath,  
Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you, over again.  
Don't make me change my mind.  
Or I won't live to see another day, I swear it's true.  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find,  
You're impossible to find._

And when he swung her around dramatically before pulling her into the safe distance of about a foot between them and settled his hands on the curves of her hips, it was like deja vu. The fam didn't even have to guilt trip him this time. He wasn't about to go all girl-like and say that it felt right having her in his arms, but it was familiar...and comfortable. He actually kind of liked dancing with Casey. Both this time and the dance competition. He was kind of glad that Nadia dumped him as a partner. He thought _Casey_ was a control freak about dancing. Yikes. That girl and Casey were, like, the only two girls in the entire school that didn't swoon at first sight. Casey seemed pretty relaxed at the present, however, with her eyes closed and a soft smile on her lips as her laced fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Yeah, _that_ totally wasn't making his neck tingle for no apparent reason.

_This is not what I intended.  
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart.  
You always thought that I was stronger.  
I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start._

_But hold your breath,  
because tonight will be the night  
that I will fall for you, over again.  
Don't make me change my mind.  
Or I won't live to see another day, I swear it's true.  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find,  
It's impossible_

_So breathe in so deep, breathe me in  
I'm yours to keep,  
And hold on to your words, cause talk is cheap,  
And remember me tonight when you're asleep._

He was staring down at the floor just over her left shoulder, trying really hard to not look like he was enjoying himself when he happened to glance up and saw Sam weaving his way toward them. Sam probably thought he'd be doing Derek a favor by stepping in and taking over for him. However, he'd been lost when Casey leaned in and laid her head on his shoulder with a silent sigh, closing the space he hadn't even realized had been receding to begin with. At this point, she had to have forgotten that it was him and not Truman she was dancing with, because the "girl head to boy shoulder" move was not in the Casey and Derek dictionary. And the nervous, fluttery feeling that began in his stomach at the intimate gesture was something kind of similar to the one he'd had around Sally. This was uncharted Casey and Derek territory and he was determined to see it through to the end. There was definitely no way he was letting go of her now until she wanted him to. His gaze locked with Sam's, glared, and shook his head "no" imperceptibly. Sam held up his hands in surrender and turned back in the opposite direction.

_Because tonight will be the night  
that I will fall for you, over again.  
Don't make me change my mind.  
Or I won't live to see another day, I swear it's true.  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find._

_Tonight will be the night  
that I will fall for you, over again.  
Don't make me change my mind.  
Or I won't live to see another day, I swear it's true.  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find,  
You're impossible to find._

He hadn't realized he'd locked his hands securely behind Casey's back until he found her eyes staring at him curiously, her hands pushing at his chest lightly, and a gentle amused smile on her face.

"Trying to think got you all confused?" Casey teased, her eyes still sparkling. "Did you lose the connection between you arms and your brain again?"

"How did you _know_?" Derek countered, mock-surprise crossing his features. "Guess you're not going anywhere until it reboots."

Both sets of eyes widened at what he'd just said and his arms popped open like a lock.

"Yeah...I'm just gonna go...this way." Derek said in a stumbling tone, pointing over one shoulder. And with a half-hearted salute he turned and quickly walked away from Casey and the awkward situation he had just created for himself, bumping into Truman's shoulder in his haste.

"What did I miss?" Truman asked no one in particular when Derek didn't even look up as he passed and blended into the block of bodies on the dance floor.

A key ingredient had just been added to Derek's "relationship" with Casey. Feelings.

oooooooeooo*oooooouooo*oooooovooo

I'd originally intended for this story to follow them through college and included some of Casey's thoughts, but my mouth ran away with me and insisted on going into detail about senior prom. So if the ending feels abrupt, that's why. What can I say? Both of my proms were severely lacking in the romance department and I'm still in the "obsessive" stage when it comes to Dasey. I'm starting to see it everywhere and YouTube is not helping. Think I should continue with this and post the rest of my ideas or just leave as is? WBL.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Yay! It's the next installment! And thanks for all the absolutely fantastic reviews thus far! You all rock! This chapter is mostly of the same scene as the last chapter, only from Emily's point of view. It's basically the breakup chapter. After all, Casey and Derek can't have any attachments such as boyfriends and girlfriends when I put them together, right? And I also get to do something I was surprised never happened in the show. Just so you all know, I'm crazy about movie trivia. Karma tokens for those who guess the movie references that I incorporate into this story! (Hint: in this chapter, look in the music suggestions.)

Music Suggestions: 'Brighter' by Paramore, 'Why' by Secondhand Serenade, 'Erase/Rewind' by The Cardigans.

Disclaimer: I seriously need to make a "serious" general disclaimer and then copy/paste it into every story I write with the appropriate category inserted. Until then, in this case, I don't own Life With Derek. I don't even live in the same country.

Like Wine: Chapter 2

Emily always thought she was rather observant when it came to the behavioral patterns of her peers. More often than not, she was the first to know any sort of gossip from any aspect of her life. And when it came to her nearest and dearest, she didn't like to brag, but, she was practically a mind reader. To be honest, they could throw her through a loop coming out of left field from time to time–two people specifically that were related by marriage and lived in the same house next door to hers came to mind–but most times, she could predict what they were going to do before even _they_ knew they wanted to.

Don't even get her started on dating patterns of the male species at Thompson High. She could go on for hours. Seriously, she could make quite a lucrative business out of it.

Remember that loop she just mentioned? It had to be La Niña in London, Ontario because everyone and everything was tilting off-balance in her world. Two words summed up all her problems: "senior" and "prom".

It all started off well enough. She had her prediction tables on who was asking whom to prom, was minus a Sheldon and otherwise going stag to aforementioned event, and Derek was true to form in calling up every girl on her list to be his date.

But then Casey suggested they go to prom together and everything went to downhill from there. All of Derek's girls on-call already had dates. He just had to go and ask _her _out when she'd already agreed to go with Casey. And _then_ he had to go and realize he had some kind of feelings for her–it took the guy long enough to get a clue, didn't it?–and kiss her, otherwise meddling with her good sense. And then, despite all that went down between Casey and Truman, Derek thought it'd be a good idea for Truman to take Casey to prom. And from what she heard from Casey, Derek had actually _defended_ her and threatened Truman to never speak to Casey again. Talk about a 180.

Although, what surprised her even more was Casey's acceptance. It had been reluctant–but Casey did, on some part, trust Derek's judgment–so if he was trying to scotch tape her and Truman back together, she'd take Derek's word and trust he wouldn't be so low as to throw her back to the wolf. So even after what he'd done to her at that party, she agreed to Truman's invitation to the prom.

To sum things up thus far: Derek asked her to prom and decided they were now boyfriend and girlfriend. Derek recalled his threat on Truman and furthermore encouraged the guy to take Casey to the prom. Truman showed up at Casey's doorstep minutes before the prom and begged for her company at the prom. Casey relented the otherwise unrelentable and dragged Emily upstairs to get her dressed and prom-ready in record time.

They hadn't even made it out of the McDonald/Venturi's front door yet.

What got to her the most, though, was what happened at the prom. While her dreams were in the fast lane to coming true, she was fairly certain she caught Truman and Casey kissing. That meant that Casey forgave him and took him back. Again. At that point, though, she'd been fairly distracted with kissing her own date on the dance floor.

The sad part is, you always wake up from dreams. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Her and Derek, that was a dream she never thought she'd see in real life. The few weeks they had together were some of her happiest to date. But she lost his focus almost as quickly as she'd gained it.

It was probably one of the unlikely-est, toughest pills to swallow, and she got her first dose sitting at a table, watching her prom date dance with his stepsister. Derek had been her foremost, top-priority subject to study. She'd been at it for years. What kind of "Derek specialist" would she be if she didn't recognize the classic onset symptoms of a Derek crush?

To start it all, they'd barely even sat down at their table after dancing for nearly a half hour straight, one look at Casey and he was back on his feet and yanking her onto the dance floor. He'd barely had time to pull off his sports coat, and he hadn't even given Casey time to pull her heels back on. He'd spirited Casey away before she could even begin to nag and nudge him to cash in the one mandatory dance with Casey.

It was a lot more subtle this time, nothing like with Kendra or even Sally. Probably because of the chance it was given to grow–in its own time, at its own pace–unknown to the person it was growing inside. It was in the way he recognized the importance of the song to Casey and, of his own free will, asked her to dance. In was in the way he held her as they danced, his arms slowly but surely pulling her in closer to him. It was the startled look that flashed in his eyes when Casey's head made its way to his shoulder, relaxed, and then tucked her securely against his body. Perhaps most importantly of all, it all came together in the way that he was there for her when the other boys in her life abandoned her.

Who had been there for her when Scott the soccer coach was three-timing her behind her back? Or when Casey had informed her of the barbarian-esque wrestling match he got into with Sam? And Max...who could be noted as Casey's most serious boyfriend. Wow, did Derek go to town on that one when he'd dumped Casey for no good reason. What kind of boyfriend was he anyway if he couldn't respect Casey's request for time so she could find herself? Derek's feelings were almost put into question around the gossip mill for as long and as rough as he'd been on pranking Max after that breakup. But then he and Sally got more serious and shot that short-lived, barely existent rumor to dust.

On the other hand, it wasn't just him. How many times did Casey drop whatever to help Derek out? Just look at the countless occasions Casey tutored him when his GPA was dropping to "point of no return" lows. If he got accepted into any reputable university, it would be because of Casey. Emily knew he was smart enough to do it on his own, he just didn't have the motivation and enthusiasm like Casey did. She could also be a very good saleswoman, if the profits made from Derek's side business back in their sophomore year were anything to go by. And the relationship advice...it was Casey that hooked Derek up with Kendra and kept Sally from breaking up with him. It was Casey that wrote and sang for him in his band, the second time around saving his relationship with Sally.

After all the failed relationships, the little things they did for each other didn't cease. It was always Derek and Casey.

Perhaps it was the dimmed, romantic lighting and atmosphere, Derek's rolled up shirtsleeves and Casey dancing in just her stocking feet, but they looked...better together than they had with her and Truman.

A sad smile graced her lips. Even if Derek and Casey didn't realize it yet, her fifteen minutes were already fading to black.

Emily broke up with him a week after graduation. She claimed the whole long-distance excuse, and he didn't argue it. Even if he knew that wasn't her real excuse. She didn't want to tell him and he wasn't ready to ask. That was all there was to it.

Long-distance relationships were never built to last, anyway.

oooooocooo*oooooozooo*ooooooxooo

Of course, it made Derek's year a whole lot brighter when he finally got to punch Truman in the face. It was a hundred times more satisfying than he imagined it would be and something long overdue. He couldn't believe the nerve of the guy to go and cheat _again_, right in plain view at a place that Derek still worked at and Casey still frequented.

He'd gone out on a limb–well, that had been for his own personal gain at the time–and gave Truman the go ahead to try and make it up to Casey. He could kind of understand on some vague level why Truman had done what he did. Personally, he never would have kissed another girl until he was broken up with the previous, but he _did_ try and date one of Casey's friends when he was still with Kendra. So he didn't have much room to talk. Then again, if he had a girl like Casey, he doubted he'd ever have a problem staying focused and true.

Part of the reason he'd thought it'd be good for Truman to take Casey to the prom was because that's all he thought it would be. Casey was smarter than that. He would never give her much credit for it, but she was a hell of a lot smarter than he'd ever be. He hadn't thought that they'd make it through the night, much less graduation. He was kind of surprised she accepted Truman's invitation in the first place. But then, a month after graduation, and they were still dating. True, Derek could see that Truman was making a much bigger effort to be the one-woman, supportive boyfriend, but Derek could also see the strain that was put on the relationship from the beginning increasing as Spring eased into Summer.

And then Derek caught Truman cheating. Though, at the time, he hadn't known that Truman and Casey broke up _before_ he caught Truman making out with Tracey Keene in the corner booth at Smelly Nelly's. It was entirely way too gratifying to be healthy. Still, he wouldn't take it back for anything in the world.

And the bag of frozen broccoli laid gingerly over the bruised knuckles and poorly hidden half-smile he received from Casey instead of the prerequisite reprimanding speech was like a well-deserved pat on the back. They were growing on each other, he could tell.

He wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not.

oooooowooo*ooooooocoo*ooooooxooo

I know it might have been a little confusing to read Emily's scene. It's kind of like she's looking back on prom, after graduation, but she was reflecting about the past she's had with Casey and Derek at the prom. (Inquisitive head tilt) Did that make any sense or did I just make it more confusing? Anyway, the last little section flips to Derek's POV, because...I really wanted him to punch Truman in the face. Also, I made Tracey up. If she exists out there...oops. That is quite the coincidence. Get the movie reference? It was, in fact, used in another prom scene in Never Been Kissed. More to come, featuring university, living together, and the band Halestorm. Intrigued? It'll be good, just wait and see. Until next time...


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I've had two chapters written up for this story, but I was torn as to which to post first. They both revolve around the same scene and time period, it's just that one is Casey's POV and the other is Derek's. I really wanted to do Derek's first, but my conscience kept bothering me by telling me that I hadn't yet posted something from Casey's. So I spent some time rearranging things to make it all work. And yeah, so I totally borrowed an idea from Bring it On and a couple of names from Ten Inch Hero. As if I'm the first to do something like that, lol! It's not even the first time _I've_ done it!

Music suggestions: 'Nervous' by Melissa Etheridge, 'First' by Lindsay Lohan, 'Love/Hate heartbreak' by Halestorm.

Disclaimer: Life With Derek isn't mine. Otherwise, I could type "Life With Derek movie" into the search engine and actually find concrete info about it.

Like Wine: Chapter 3

It had been almost four months since their high school graduation, one month since she and Derek started uni together, and Casey felt completely unsettled.

She had no real explanation for the feeling, something just felt...off. The only thing that gave her any respite was that, as per usual, she could blame Derek for the feeling.

She didn't need a reason. Just living with him alone was reason enough.

She'd tried sorority life, and Derek had went the corresponding fraternity route, but for some reason, she'd been rejected days after she'd been informed that she'd been accepted. She'd planned on living in her sorority house, but when that fell through, she'd been left floundering. At that point, it'd been far too late to find a dorm or an affordable one-person apartment close to campus.

Conveniently for her, Derek's plans fell through as well.

She'd been sitting on the curb in front of her former sorority house, pondering her options before she called home when he'd coincidentally drove past her and pulled over. He got out of the car, stalked over to her, grabbed her up by the arm, and hauled her back to the car. Once he climbed back in the car and drove off, he informed her that her dad already had a two bedroom apartment put on hold for them, ready to be moved into immediately.

It had been news to her, and the man was _her_ father, not Derek's.

It got even weirder from there. It was as if plucking them out of their usual environment shook up both their personalities. Translating, that meant that Derek was almost..._nice _to her. And that meant she had no choice but to do so as well.

Granted, they still had their moments. Derek was still Derek, after all.

If she were at all honest with herself, things between her and Derek had been different since they'd danced to her song at the prom. The subtle shift that had resulted that night had almost felt as real as the hair she'd twisted around her fingers as he held her, his grip tightening around her as she stepped in closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

She'd felt so relaxed in his arms that she hadn't even thought about it as she leaned into his shoulder. At the time, she'd just blamed it on the song and being caught up in the moment. But, try as she might, she couldn't ignore the little lurch her heart gave every time she thought of the moment she'd realized the song ended and pulled back minuetly. He'd been holding on to her so tightly that she could only pull back a few inches, her face almost touching his. It wouldn't have required much work on either side if they'd wanted to kiss. And then he'd said that line, as if he hadn't wanted to let go of her either.

And the thought had thrilled her much more than the thought of kissing Truman had.

For the most part, she'd been able to push the thoughts and feelings from that night to the furthest recesses of her mind, crediting it to being one of those temporary leases on sanity that were starting to frequent her body and mind. The thoughts that were beginning to prove that Derek might just be a good guy. Perhaps one of the most honorable men that she knew.

She sometimes felt like cursing him when the pile began to grow. Until one day, she realized it was out of control.

ooosoooooo*ooowoooeoo*

It was a few months into university that Casey realized how possessive and obsessed she'd become about Derek. Of course, it was rather rudely shoved into her face how obvious it was to the casual female observer...

_Casey practically glowered from her seat in the courtyard as Derek sauntered past surrounded by a flock of his fellow hockey teammates. She knew he didn't have to walk this way. In fact, it was kind of out of his way. He did it out of spite, he just refused to leave her be. All she asked for was a few minutes with her new fast-becoming friends, Tish and Piper, girls that she met in her English Lit class. Just one half an hour of straight "girl time" away from class once in a while. But no. Way too much to ask for when Derek knew that was what she wanted._

_Derek was the first to break the gaze with a playful shake of his head and picked up a conversation with one of his teammates as they continued past the courtyard and into the crowd. Casey rolled her eyes, fighting a quirk of her own lips, and turned to face Tish. She started slightly at the deep, inquisition-like look directed at her._

"_What?" Casey said defensively, frowning and taking a bite of her lunch. A chill gust of air blew wisps of her ponytail over her shoulder, causing her to shiver._

"_What's going on with you and Derek?" Tish asked shortly, narrowing her eyes._

"_Nothing..." Casey trailed off, confused with the question. She pulled an extra hairtie from her pocket and wound her hair up into a bun to avoid their gazes._

"_It's a simple question." Piper interjected, backing up Tish. "Are you and Derek, like, together, or something? Because, to be honest, he's already hit on me twice this week. I want to know before I accept."_

"_And what you're doing with him out in public...wow. It's way inappropriate." Tish admonished before Casey could say anything._

"_Are you kidding? Of course not!" Casey said indignantly, attempting to rise from her seat, only to be held down at the shoulder by both Piper and Tish. "That's preposterous. And we don't do anything "inappropriate" in public! I don't know what you're talking about. Go ahead and date him, I couldn't care less what he does." Casey vented irritably, crossing her arms over her chest. "And we haven't verbally fought out in public in months."_

"_Don't lie to us about it, Casey. We're better at it than you." Tish stated matter-of-factly in a challenging tone._

"_Better at what?" Casey asked impatiently, staring in the direction Derek had just disappeared into. She'd almost prefer his snarky personality shadowing her at that moment._

"_You were having eye sex with him." Piper stated informatively, resting her chin on her hand and staring at Casey sagely. Tish nodded in agreement. Casey's jaw fell open in shock._

"_What!" Casey shrieked, attempting to stand again only to have the previous shoulder action repeated. "I didn't...I'm not..." Casey trailed off, muttering to herself incoherently in a befuddled tone._

"_Ooh...denial. That's never a fun stage." Piper said sympathetically, patting Casey on the shoulder as she stood and collected her things. "Well...it's been fun. See you back at the dorm later for our study group, girls. Tish, be sure she makes it to her next class, would you? She still looks a little shell-shocked."_

"_I've got it covered." Tish said with a wry smile. _

Ever since then, she couldn't _stop_ the Derek-centric thoughts from bubbling to the surface. Every now and again, she'd catch herself muttering out loud to the empty apartment about something Derek-related that irritated her. Like how he left all his dirty clothes, from socks and dirty hockey gear to jeans and...girl's undergarments that were most definitely _not_ hers, littered all across the apartment. It was usually her that was forced to relent and skulk around the apartment to collect everything and throw it in with her wash.

Or leaving dishes cluttered on the sink and counter in their already cramped kitchen until she couldn't even see the countertop. Again, it usually fell to her to wash and return everything to its proper place.

But then there were times that she caught herself sighing wistfully and humming about something he did that was so sweet it sent a warm shock wave throughout her body.

Like when he stood up for her after one of her first college dates had tried to force her into going further than she wanted...

_She'd smashed the heel of her palm into his nose and broke away, just as Lizzie had instructed her to do, sobbing and clutching her purse and her heels to her chest as she jogged out of the building. She hadn't even made it a quarter of the way to their apartment before she almost ran head-long into Derek on his way to visit a friend that resided in the same dorm building she'd just fled from._

_One look at her and he crushed her in a tight embrace, somehow sensing that that was exactly what she needed from him. Something familiar. Someone that would never hurt her like that._

_Waiting until she figuratively got her feet back under her, he let her pull back when she was ready. His hands still clasping her biceps loosely, she could almost say his tone was gentle when he asked for details. And gentle was one of those terms that didn't appear often in the Casey and Derek guide to survival. Given the waterworks were still leaking down her face, she gave him the hitching and tear-clogged version of what had happened._

_The words "forced" and "me" barely passed her lips before his hands tightened minutely on her arms and a scowl marred his usual carefree expression._

_Unclenching his hands from her arms, he forced the frown into something more typical of Derek, reassuring her with a light brush of his fingertips on her face, brushing a loose strand behind her ear._

_"Why don't you walk back with me to the dorms? You can stop by Tish and Piper's and let them fret over you like girls do for a few minutes." Derek said in an encouraging tone, pulling her around into the direction he'd suggested so they could start walking. A dark threat had glimmered in his eyes as he stared straight ahead of them. "There's something I need to take care of that just can't wait."_

He'd shown up at Tish and Piper's dorm room ten minutes later to pick her up. When she'd answered the door, his hair was sticking out at odd angles and there were tell-tale red marks on his knuckles. But she'd said nothing as he held his hand out for her, instead reaching out and twining her fingers around his as he led them away.

One of the worst revelations hit her the same night as Tish and Piper's intervention.

Did Derek know about "eye sex", as Tish and Piper had referred to it as? It was Derek they were considering here. He could have possibly _invented _the term. And was he _willingly_ having it with her if he did know about it? Did _she _want him to?

College was becoming a dangerous environment for their barely tolerate/hate relationship.

ooowoooroo*ooouoooo*ooocooomoo

She noticed the undefined emotion was getting worse when she snapped at a girl that was trying to get to Derek through her. It hadn't even been that serious. The girl had been right up Derek's alley: blond, lithe, and about as intelligent as the name that reminded her of a car. It had been at a party, a party that was being conveniently thrown right next door to their apartment in celebration of a recent big hockey win and a four day weekend. That had already left her feeling edgy and short-tempered, especially when Derek accepted the invitation and dragged her along without even asking if she had better things to do.

Which she did. Her life wasn't just about parties and hockey, like his was. She _liked_ having time to herself to just curl up and get lost in a good book. Nights like that were few and far in-between when one took their college GPA as seriously as Casey did.

So there she was, sitting on a couch while Derek ambled off somewhere for drinks, probably looking as out of place as she felt. Time passed and she could see Derek talking with their neighbor, who was also the same hockey player she'd mentioned earlier. So there she was, forgotten by the person that had brought her, no Emily-esque backup to turn to and no chance to call because her cell charger was malfunctioning and her cell phone was dead.

Then Cam sat down next to her. She didn't even warm up to the conversation that was going to be Derek-centered.

"That guy you came with, that's Derek Venturi, right?" Cam asked, crossing her legs and angling herself towards Casey, her intentions clear in her eyes.

"Yes." Casey answered shortly, angling her head slightly to check on Derek's progress away from the kitchen. He hadn't budged.

"He's some kind of hockey player, right? Really great and everything?" Cam questioned, following Casey's searching gaze and stretching her neck to get a better look.

"Yeah, I guess he's decent enough. I'm not an expert or anything." Casey returned curtly, not being helpful in any way.

"Are you here together?" Cam asked, a stereotypical piece of gum snapping as she waited for Casey's response. Casey's eyebrow twitched upward before she turned her glacial expression towards the other girl.

"Yes, we're here together. Now back off." Casey said in a frigid tone, surprising herself as well as the relatively harmless girl.

"Right. Okay." Cam said slowly after a long pause, standing and quickly vacating Casey's penetrating gaze.

"Wow Case. How do you expect to pick up a decent boyfriend when you can't even be nice to your own half of the species?" Derek asked in a teasing tone, plopping down beside her on the couch. He'd kept her in his corner-of-the-eye vision the whole time and turned to see the whole cold shoulder treatment Casey had given the only person that talked to her the whole night. Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he asked in a tired tone, "What'd _that _one say to set you off?"

"I just don't appreciate being the go-to girl when it comes to getting the 411 on you." Casey replied, picking up his arm and pulling it away from her shoulders. She then pushed herself up from the couch and looked down at him after she stood. "I actually feel kind of sick, so I'm just going to go home, alright?"

"Are you gonna be okay? Do you want me to come with?" Derek asked, showing a rare ounce of concern. No one was around, so it wouldn't damage his rep anyway.

Casey shook her head negatively.

"I'll be fine. It's probably just that psychology test coming up. You know how I stress before a test." Casey answered, shrugging her shoulders in a 'what are you going to do with me' way.

"That test isn't until next Wednesday, Case." Derek stated with a knowing smirk. He then shooed her away. "Go and make some flash cards to make yourself feel better."

"Don't stay too late. Remember we're going home tomorrow." Casey reminded him, smiling slightly as she backed away from him.

"Of course." Derek said with fake cheerfulness, waving her away again. "Don't wait up for me."

She waggled her fingers at him over her shoulder as she walked through the door and across the hall to their apartment.

He ended up following her through the door twenty minutes later.

"Party wasn't the same without you." Derek remarked with a shrug at her questioning gaze.

She threw a wadded up index card at him.

oooaooosoo*ooomoooo*oooeooowoo*

She still couldn't decide on whether or not she wanted him to lose control and do something. So she'd daydreamed about him once or twice...alright, so it was quickly becoming a routine habit. How could she not when he was strutting about the apartment all the time in nothing but a towel? And maybe, _maybe_, she may have peeked through the crack in the door once and got a view most girls would give their left kidney to see. She didn't do it on purpose. Well...the quadruple take she _may_ have taken before she could finally pull herself away for good was definitely of her own free will.

And that's when she realized something.

It was getting to be more than just eye sex and subtle caring.

They had each been subconsciously - Well, on her part, anyway. He'd probably deny it - competing with each other to see how much the other could take. She'd been teasing _Derek_, and not just in a sisterly, "I want to annoy and embarrass you" kind of way. She was treating him in a way that a woman does with a man that she wants to be intimate with.

She was almost 100 percent certain she wanted to have sex. With Derek.

There was definitely something wrong in her head. Regardless, she'd relaxed her "no sex until marriage" goal significantly to "no sex until the right guy comes along" when her thoughts were so overrun by Derek that she had trouble sleeping.

Sure, she kept to her usual nagging ways just to keep things familiar, but what she really wanted was a little change. A change from all the tension that was practically crackling between them every time they came near each other.

Changes were about to be made, regardless of her being ready for them or not.

Or him.

ooowoooooo*oooonooooo*ooooeoooxooo

I'm working on the other half presently and I'll _probably_ have it up within the next couple of days since it's mostly all written. No, for real! When I say until next time, I actually mean in _this _lifetime, lol! How'd it feel? Did it match up well with the other chapters? And this is what I meant when I first mentioned that I wanted to explore Derek and Casey's college life.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Alright, so it's a lot later than I had originally anticipated posting this. Turns out, after I rearranged everything to make three work, it left next to nothing in this chapter. So, I had to come up with some new material for this one as well. I hope you like it. Even after the time delay, lol.

Music suggestions: 'Watch me move' by Fefe Dobson, 'Never let you go' by Third Eye Blind, 'Innocence' by Halestorm.

Disclaimer: Life With Derek, I own not.

Like Wine: Chapter 4

It wasn't until they started attending university that he began acting out more often on the...jealous feelings. In high school, he'd always been a little protective of Casey, but he'd always attributed that to the older-brother syndrome that he had with Marti and sort-of with Lizzie. Even if he was only a few months older.

Now Lizzie was one step-sibling that he didn't have to worry about when it came to self-defense. Those karate lessons really paid off.

But, yeah, that defensive and protective aspect of his relationship with Casey only intensified with age and he discovered how un-sisterly the feelings actually were. He hadn't even realized how bad it had become until he'd gotten into a row with one of his own hockey teammates after the guy made an off-color reference to Casey's bedroom techniques. Okay, so he overreacted a little...but the guy did kind of have it coming. It had been his first day on the ice with the university team. It had been a good thing that it'd happened at the end of practice. Other than the massive bruise on his right side that could easily be blamed on a rough tackle on the ice for him and a smashed in nose – something that could also be attributed to a hard check into the glass – for his dimwitted teammate, nothing had been leaked to the coach. No disciplinary action had been given.

Everything was fine for a few days after that.

And then he was sworn into his chosen fraternity. It all went to hell from there.

He dropped out of the frat in the form of shoving the vice-president of the fraternity through a wall. Her own sorority sisters had sold her out, along with all the other freshmen pledges, to the fraternity he'd only moments before swore an oath to. The times really were changing when the senior frat boys were shopping for a good time in the lower ranks of their "sister" sorority. Apparently, it'd been a long-standing arrangement, had been going on for at least as long as their more senior members began attending Queens. Casey's sorority would make a list of their members and send the list over to Derek's fraternity. And then, over much drinking and derogatory discussing, the girls would be classified on a numerical scale based on hotness and do-ability. It was sort of like a royal bloodline sort of setup, trying to keep it all in the higher-ranking family. It was kind of outdated in Derek's opinion. Besides, no one was applying a numerical rating system to _his_ stepsister again. Especially when she was unanimously placed at the top of the list.

You just didn't apply numbers to a girl like Casey. It was hard enough with words.

God help him if anyone ever discovered he'd thought that.

With all that said, school hadn't even officially started yet and he was already homeless.

Not knowing who else to call, he'd made a call to Dennis, Casey's dad, on his mobile after leaving the frat. Explaining the situation had been easy enough. The internal struggle over his conflicted Casey emotions as he tried to stay impartial for the conversation...not so much. But Dennis had been thankful and appreciative enough to put in a call on a decent two bedroom flat about two blocks from the main campus. He couldn't make the payments on his own, so his new complication was to find a decent roommate on such short notice. But he doubted that would be a problem.

He didn't have to look very far at all.

Back in retrospect, he hadn't thought of what would happen to Casey after the fallout with his former fraternity until he drove past her on sorority lane. It hadn't been by accident, for he had to drive that way to get back to the main motorway, and he was glad he did. Already in a sour mood, his fingers clinched the steering wheel in a death-like grip when he saw Casey sitting at the curb with her head in her hands and three boxes crammed with her preliminary college possessions sitting beside her.

He'd pulled over, shoved her and her possessions in the car, and informed her of their new living arrangements. And that had been that.

He wasn't quite sure if he'd died and gone to heaven or straight to hell when they moved into the off-campus apartment together. He'd admit it, there wasn't much of Casey he hadn't seen before, having lived in such close quarters for so many years. He'd seen her in her underwear, been in her underwear drawer, and seen her in a towel fresh from a shower. But either she'd stopped caring that he was a guy or some switch flipped when she realized it was just the two of them and didn't have to worry about the parents or younger siblings. Because there was a sway to her hips as she walked past him, a self-confident, sexy stride that set him off every time he looked at her.

Something that had never even registered in his brain before.

Then he started following through with all the internal threats to Casey's dates when she came home unhappy or unsatisfied. If there was one thing Casey deserved, it was to be happy and unstressed. He knew how hard she worked, both in school as well as the job she had in the University office. And maybe her romantic ideals were rubbing off on him, but it should be the man's job to take care of a girl like Casey. It didn't take much, she was one of the easier types of girls to maintain. Casey was simple and predictable, regardless of what he may say from time to time. She may have a few quirks, he discovered most of them the hard way, yet it wasn't like she was incapable of pleasing. Somehow, though, not one guy could respect her wishes when it came to the whole "no sex" deal and dumped her faster than she could blink.

It was kind of obvious when a girl said "no sex" that she meant exactly that. Even he wasn't such a jerk and full of himself to not realize that. Besides, it's not as if there weren't other things you could do without actually having sex. He tried really hard not to speculate, but he had the inclination that Casey might be open to some of them. Yet time and again, he found himself pulling the latest Casey ditcher off into a dark corner or hallway to defend her honor and integrity. And it was only by God's merciful intervention that the one guy that tried to force Casey was still able to _walk_, much less alive and breathing.

Casey was not a girl to be forced. And he wasn't the kind of guy to stand by and let that kind of deed go unpunished.

And he had no clue what to make of her gratitude, if it was even something he was meant to see.

She stopped closing her door all the way. It was a few weeks after the forcing incident when he first noticed. Needless to say, he was probably more familiar with Casey's undergarments than any other man on the planet. Probably even more so than Nora or Emily. In time, the bras got less conservative and more like something out of Victoria's Secret. White, pastels, and cotton to jewel colors, lace, and satin. He nearly went to his knees the first time he saw her sliding black thigh-high stockings up her legs and fastening them to a matching garter belt.

He'd never been with a girl that did something like that for him. Most times, it was too easy. Granted, most times he liked it that way. No tights, panty hose, fishnets, or whatever else a girl put on underneath her dress or skirt. Sometimes, not even panties. When you were a hotshot athlete in such a cool sport as hockey, and especially with _his _good looks and charming personality, the women flocked to him in hordes. He hardly even had to work to find a pretty girl to "date" for a few weeks, if that.

With Casey constantly around, though, it was difficult to bring fan girls home for some one-on-one time.

But back to the aforementioned topic. Most girls these days apparently didn't have enough time for such feminine contraptions because other than viewing the Victoria's Secret or Frederick's pages, Derek had never personally gotten the chance to try and pull those infernal stockings off on the way to home base. Before Casey, he'd never actually had a behind the scenes look. And damn if the image wasn't permanently seared into his brain.

You'd never guess that underneath all the comfortable shirts, jeans, and skirts she wore that she was a bit of an exhibitionist. He kind of liked how he was probably the only man that had ever seen and knew that much of her.

He still couldn't figure out if she was intentionally provoking him or not.

oooooouoo*oooooxoooo*ooooeooo*ooowooo

"Der-ek!" Casey screamed out in a frustrated tone from behind her closed bedroom door.

Looking up from his recliner from their apartment's common area, his attention having been on Casey's Cosmo magazine, he then dropped the magazine and pushed the footrest down to stand. Just in case Casey intended to storm into the room behind the infuriated scream.

"What did I do now?" Derek drawled in a lazy tone as he came to stand just outside of Casey's bedroom door when it appeared that she wasn't out for a physical attack. For once, the door had actually been fully shut as she did...whatever she was doing in there.

"Don't take that tone with me!" Casey accused, incensed, from behind the door. "I know you tampered with my dress that I intended to wear on my date with Jack tonight."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. Over the years, he'd done such a great job at messing with her that he didn't even have to do anything for her to get pissed at him and accuse him of something. "Casey, I did no such thing."

"Like I haven't heard that one before." Casey rebutted after a snort.

"First off, Case, when would I have done such tampering? I've had classes all day and I just got back from practice. You, on the other hand, have been home pretty much all day." Derek asked in his defense.

Casey paused before answering, which meant that she was fishing for some BS. He continued before she could answer.

"Second, and this is perhaps most important. How the hell would I even know what you planned on wearing? You haven't actually sat something out for a date in years. That was one lesson that you apparently learned early on."

Letting out an aggravated sigh, he heard her stalk towards the door and stood from it as she yanked the door open dramatically.

"Alright, fine! So maybe you didn't actually sabotage my dress." Casey relented in an unwilling tone. Her hair was pinned up haphazardly, she didn't have any makeup on from what he could tell, and when she turned and harrumphed back towards her closet mirror, her dress was only halfway zipped. A strip of ruby-red with black lace trim framed by the most beautiful back he'd ever seen peaked out from the vee the dress created.

The breath was sucker-punched out of his lungs and he was pretty sure an utterly bewildered expression was written all over his face. He was frozen to the spot in her doorway.

Meeting his eyes in the mirror as she fumbled with the zipper that wouldn't budge, she then sent him an affronted glare over her shoulder. "I opened the door so you could come in and help me, Derek. So don't just stand there. Help a stepsister out, would ya?" Casey asked in a sardonic tone, appearing to be totally unaffected by the fact that he was seeing her in such a state of undress.

He wasn't dumb enough to pass up an opportunity such as this. He stepped over the threshold and eased the door shut behind him.

oooouooo*ooonoomooo*

"Did you do what I told you?" Piper asked primly, glancing over at Casey as she shifted into drive and pulled away from the curb.

Casey sighed dramatically. "Yes, of course. I've sunk so low that I'm putting the subliminal mind tricks on my stepbrother. I did the thigh highs. I've done the almost towel drop twice this month. I even pulled the "stuck zipper" move. Do you know how hard that is to actually do when you want it to purposefully happen?" Casey finished with her frustrated question, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Does he know that you don't actually have a date?" Tish asked from the backseat.

Casey blushed and stared out her passenger side window. "Technically, I _am _going out with Jack. I just neglected to tell Derek that Jack is, in fact, gay and that you and Piper would be along as well."

Piper clucked her tongue, but smiled good-naturedly. "See Casey? You're coming along just swimmingly. All you need to do is either "accidentally" flash him or dance indecently in front of him with another hot guy, and then you'll be no different than the rest of us pros. I'll bet he's pacing the apartment right now, wondering what the hell is up with you. He'll be making a move in no time."

oooaoooo*oooxooocoo*ooozooooowo

He'd never thought it would come to this, but he was actually pacing the floor of their common area, fretting over what had just transpired like some kind of _girl_. It was so bad, he almost considered calling Sam.

How was it that the one woman in his life that annoyed the absolute hell out of him was also driving him crazy on a sexually frustrated level as well?

ooosooo*oooroooooo*ooowooovoo*

Well? How do you like this new twist of events? Is it believable enough? I believe, that when pushed, any girl is capable of putting such moves on a guy. Even I've pulled off a few more of the subtle ones. Too bad they were so subtle that none of them ever got the hint. But anyway...Also I have no idea if frats or sororities do anything like what I implied. Like before, I pulled that out of the clear blue. I didn't mean anything by it, and I hope it doesn't bring any negativity down on me. I made it all up, just for one line. Perhaps my favorite of the chapter. Have a guess as to which one it is? It's not far past the fraternity explanation. And yes, I sort borrowed the rating idea from one scene in The House Bunny. Yes, well, perhaps after this, I'll be able to actually post something for Protecting Berry, my Glee story.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: This is something that's been long overdue for a resolution. I finally whipped something up. Hope it's up to snuff. Also, I was finally brave enough to list the song that inspired Casey and Derek's college storyline for this story.

Music suggestions: 'I get off' by Halestorm, 'The story of us' by Taylor Swift, 'What about now' by Daughtry.

Disclaimer: Don't own Life With Derek.

Like Wine: Chapter 5

Casey glared at the man before her as he turned and made to saunter out of her room, thinking he'd had the last word. She was wearing her best dress, a bra that lived up to its reputation of making her breasts two cup sizes larger, panties that made her feel like Wonder Woman with all the confidence they gave her, and her sexiest black "do me" heels. Her hair was behaving and totally rocking the sexy tousled look that Tish had taught her the week before. And he was just _walking away_?

Over a month had gone by since her manufactured zipper debacle, a plan that had actually ended with physical contact between them, and _nothing_ from Derek since. In fact, she was almost certain that he'd been _avoiding_ her. Her well-known patience was fraying at the seams.

After breaking down and admitting her feelings to Tish and Piper shortly following Derek defending her honor, both girls had insisted on making her over and barraging her with an endless stream of tips and advice.

Starting with a trip to Victoria's Secret.

"_Have you ever been to Victoria's Secret, Casey?" Piper queried from Casey's left as they all stood in a line at the entrance to the boutique at the mall fifteen minutes from campus._

"_No." Casey answered in a distracted tone, her astounded gaze gliding across the endless expanse of lingerie and beauty products. "I mean, I've looked inside countless times in passing, but it all looked so...overwhelming."_

_Tish and Piper shared a secret communication before stepping over the threshold, towing a reluctant Casey along behind them._

"_We'll start in the heavenly-smelling beauty section and go from there." Piper stated informatively, leading Casey to a wall of various colored bottles containing lotion, scrub, and body mist. "Let's find something that works for you. Personally, I'm rather fond of _Love Spell_, while Tish over there swears up and down that _Pure Seduction_ is their best creation to date."_

_Handing her a test tube of lotion of the two they'd just mentioned, Casey held each up to her nose and sniffed cautiously. Frowning slightly, she closed each tube and handed them back to their prospective promoters._

"_Not really a big fan of either." Casey admitted with a shrug. She then placed her hands on her hips and stared at the selection with an astute eye._

"_Well, hell." Piper declared in astonishment. "Who doesn't like _Love Spell_? Is that even American?"_

"_Guess it's a good thing we're in Canada." Casey tossed back in an offhand tone, not taking her eyes from the wall as she decided on _Sheer Love _and plucked the tester from the shelf. Sniffing it, her nose wrinkled up and she quickly reshelfed it and grabbed up _Strawberries and Champagne_._

_Plucking up a few bottles at random, Tish held out the next one for Casey as Casey snapped the cap on her bottle and handed it off to Piper, who replaced it on its designated shelf._

"_Here." Tish said, handing _Moonlight Dream _to her. Casey snapped the cap shut seconds later with a frown._

"_Next." Casey commanded, her hand outstretched._

"_Should have known this wouldn't be easy." Piper grumbled around Casey to Tish twenty minutes later, after having gone through 80 percent of the Victoria's Secret collection. Casey waved her hand in the air dismissively in response before passing off _Secret Charm_ to the grumbling girl._

"_I kind of liked that one. Sally used to wear something like that when she was dating Derek. She gave me a small bottle of lotion in that scent. It's been awhile, though, I only just remembered it." Casey mused, taking the next proffered bottle from Tish._

_Casey glanced at the green bottle and passed it along to Piper without testing it. "Can't stand the smell of pears. Reminds me of Truman."_

"_Okay." Tish uttered with a long-suffering sigh. She then dropped an orange-hued bottle into Casey's palm. "This is the last one, and then we're taking a break to look at some bras."_

_Popping the cap, Casey took a cautious sniff, hummed in pleasure, and proceeded to squirt a dab of the lotion into her hand. Handing the bottle to Piper, she pointed to it as she coincided with rubbing the lotion into her hands._

"_That's it. That's the one." Casey declared in a sure tone. "And not just because it's the last one. It's perfect. And subtle."_

"_Should have guessed you'd be an _Amber Romance_ girl." Tish stated, procuring a bag with a flourish and loading one of each of the products offered in that scent into said bag. "Understated and no pizazz whatsoever."_

"_Hush, Tish. She chose one. That's all that matters." Piper admonished with a subduing glare. She then smiled ceremoniously at Casey. "Now it's time to get serious. What are you thinking, Tish? Personally, I'm thinking something from the _Angel's_ collection, with a few from the _Incredible _line just to spice things up."_

"_I like the way you're thinking." Tish replied with a feral grin. "Perhaps the demi in pink with lace."_

_Snatching up Casey's hand, Piper yanked a naïve Casey deeper into the store._

"_Let's get a move on! I also wanna check out their new push ups." Piper stated in a rushed excited tone._

_Tish shook her head and trailed along at a more sedate pace._

Casey had left the store that day over $150 dollars in debt due to her new Victoria's Secret charge, with a handful of beauty products in a _to die for_ scent, two bras, four pairs of panties, one garter belt, and a pair of thigh-high stockings to her name.

Before that day, her best undergarments were comfortable, cotton, and neutral colors. Mostly purchased from whichever clothing store she happened to be shopping in. Primarily American Eagle and H&M. The boldest color she'd owned was a pale pink matching bra and bikini style panty set. And seeing as how their primary function was to be supportive and functional, rather than to be couture and seen by anyone other than herself, she didn't have much of a problem with that.

After that day, it was bolder than anything she'd ever dared imagining before. She was particularly fond of the rainbow leopard pattern. It was wild, but feminine. Completely un-Casey. She also wouldn't turn her nose up at the pink animal print she'd taken to on her third visit to the store.

And lace...who'd have ever thought it could be so comfortable? Especially those lace-waist hiphuggers.

What further shocked her...she _wanted_ to show it all off to someone. It wasn't just a ploy, an "incentive", as Tish and Piper coined it. She wanted to show it all off. To one person. Derek.

So she did.

It became second nature, leaving her door cracked open far enough for someone to watch her surreptitiously. She didn't even have to think about it. Hooking up her bra with her back to the door...smoothing body lotion into her skin from head to toe, dressed simply in her bra and panties...gently guiding silky black stockings up her legs before affixing each to a satin and lace garter belt...she started getting a serious thrill from it all, the expectation of having his eyes on her as she played it all up like a fashion show, made her feel hot and desirable.

Almost like her skin could no longer contain her. Like she was burning from the inside out.

Tish and Piper both just smiled at her and patted her on the head when she admitted to the rush she got from modeling her new looks for Derek.

She could tell there was a difference in Derek. The way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking, or sometimes catching her gaze and..._lingering_. She could see the corresponding burn in his eyes, or at least, she hoped that's what she was seeing. She really hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking.

He just wouldn't _act, _and that was throwing her off, making her doubt. Whenever did Derek _not_ act when he was clearly interested in a girl?

The only evidence she had, other than the looks, was the fact that he hadn't brought home any girls in weeks. Around the same time she started shopping at Victoria's Secret.

She was making all the proverbial leaps of faith here. Why wasn't he doing his share and reaching out to catch her? Jeez, how much more obvious could she get, short of holding up a sign? Did he think she was flaunting her goods to anyone that would look?

To hell with being subtle and coy. Obviously Derek had problems picking up on such cues. She was about to shove it in his face.

"Alright, that's it! Jesus Christ, Derek! What's a girl gotta do to get you to ask her out?" Casey cried in an incensed tone, throwing her arms open wide. "Flash you?"

Pivoting around to face her in her doorway, Derek's eyes subconsciously dropped to her chest for a fraction of a second, confirming that he did, in fact, know that she possessed a pair of breasts.

A smirk twisted his features as he leaned against the door jamb. "If that sealed the deal...if I said yes, would you?" Derek queried in a tone that implied he was half-teasing her. Amusement crossed with bewilderment in his eyes as he gestured to her twins with one hand. "Show me the girls, that is. 'Cause, I'll admit, I've been kinda curious as to why they've been, like, seriously bigger the past couple weeks."

"Der-ek!" Casey exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips to glare menacingly at him.

The expression had no such quelling effect on him.

Chuckling mostly to himself, he pushed up form his relaxed pose on her door frame and sauntered over to stand directly in front of her. Looking at her with his head tilted down and his eyes hooded, an expression that had most girls swooning and searching for the nearest flat surface to recline onto, he reached up and gingerly brushed an errant lock of her tousled hair away from her face.

"And that's why you cracked first." Derek whispered in a low husky tone. He held a finger to her lips as her glower darkened and she drew a breath in to speak. His smile widened and morphed into something a little closer to affection. "Did you honestly think I always walked around this apartment mostly naked whenever you're around for no reason?" Tracing the outline of her now parted lips with a fingertip, he allowed his eyes to follow the motion. "I want you, Casey. Really bad."

It was unclear who surged forward after his confession, but Derek's lips were fused to Casey's without any intention of removing them any time in the near future.

oooocoooo*ooaoooooeooo

_Five months later..._

"Casey, Casey, Casey." Derek intoned blithely, pushing her back. "Why must we keep going over this? We're not having sex."

Casey growled out in frustration, sitting up and settling her legs into a cross-legged position. "Why?"

"Really?" Derek questioned incredulously, crossing his outstretched legs at the ankles and placing his hands under his head. "I never thought I'd see the day where I was the one holding out and you were the one begging for a put out."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't really compare to my debacle." Casey grumbled in a put off tone, crossing her arms over her chest. Seeing as how she was wearing just her bra from the waist up, Derek's eyes were drawn unconsciously to the enhancement the action made. He was now quite intimately acquainted with Casey's breasts, and he had enjoyed every minute of it. "Here _I_ am, ready to make love with my boyfriend, _again_, the first time I've actually wanted to have sex with _anyone _mind you, and he, also for the first time, doesn't seem too particularly keen on doing it with me. He just keeps repeatedly turning me down. How do you think that makes me feel?" Casey finished, her voice locking up as she attempted to choke back tears. A couple of tears leaked out against her will.

"Hey, don't be like that." Derek ordered in a soft tone, sitting up and pulling her face into his hands. "It's not that I don't want to have sex with you, I do. _Trust me_. It's just...You've always made such a big deal out of waiting until after you were married, and I'm trying to respect that. I'm willing to wait, 'cause I know waiting until after we're married will be worth it. Any man that wants to be with you, _really_ wants to be with you, should be willing to make the same sacrifice."

"Wait." Casey asked after a short pause, a thoughtful frown marking her forehead. "You said, "after we're married". Does that mean you want to marry me someday?"

"I..." Derek uttered, the rest of the words lost as his brain temporarily short-circuited, realizing he'd just unknowingly backed himself into a corner. Admitting to something he hadn't even realized he wanted until just that moment. "I did? Yes. I mean, no. Alright maybe. Someday. _After_ we graduate."

Casey pounced on Derek, smothering him in a hug. "The answer's yes." She then pulled back to send him a threatening look. "But I'm expecting a much better proposal later on."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less." Derek returned with a smile.

ooooeoooo*ooorooooo*oooxooooo

Completely random, but, back when I was in high school, Love Spell was all the rage. All the girls just had to have it. My friend let me test hers out and I was like... "Meh. Not really liking it." Took a trip up to VS and went through a similar testing process that Casey went through. And yes, Amber Romance is also my go-to favorite scent. And, truth be told, that store overwhelms me every time. There's just so much pretty inside. So...that's it. For my note as well as the story. What'd you think?


End file.
